Thanalor Ravenstrike
Survivor of millennia spent out at sea, fighting for his life against both the harsh waves and the terrifying monsters below alike during his time serving in the Darnassian Navy, Thanalor Ravenstrike was born from adventure. However, all adventures must eventually come to an end, as Thanalor’s almost did during a skirmish with Horde vessels along the coast of Kalimdor. From proud navy man to scarred slave and then guilt-ridden gladiator, he fought his way through the arena, giving up his dignity by killing friend and foe alike in order to survive. So lost was he after he eventually managed to escape that he sank into a deep and dark depression. A depression which only his newfound faith in the Light could pull him out of. =Personality = ---- A much more reserved individual than he used to be—when in the presence of those not known to him—Thanalor does not speak often. And when he does, his voice comes out hoarse, gruff, and sometimes even rough—a symptom of his habit of rarely speaking when in the company of acquaintances. Most think of him as quiet. Others, awkward. Thanalor would like to think that he has more to say when with those close to him. That is not to say that he dislikes making friends. It just takes a bit more time for him to be comfortable with someone. After-all, he knows far too well the pain of getting close to someone only for them to be taken away from him. Interestingly enough, he is much more talkative when under the influence of alcohol—as are a lot of other people. Perhaps what makes Thanalor so compelling is not his words but his actions. Actions backed up by his sturdy personality and his excellent morals that he follows accordingly. Strong-willed, steady, noble to both his friends and his foes, pragmatic and resourceful, and very independent, he lives life for the sake of the planet, putting it before himself—always. =Physical Description = ---- Gruff and rugged, with a strong, chiseled jawline hidden behind an impressive beard, Thanalor’s history can be inferenced from every scar and wrinkle that marks his otherwise venerable, handsome face. His cheeks are sunken in a way that makes his visage appear slightly angular and sharp, his nose is broad, and his lips—which seem to always be pressed together—are thin and a slightly darker shade of purple than his skin is. The right side of his face—scarred by two large, unsightly gashes—is usually covered by a wide, thin cloth that he wraps at an angle around his head to hide the empty socket which used his contain his right eye. The portion of said cloth that is on the top of his head is usually covered up by his windswept, silver hair. Tested time and time again, Thanalor’s powerful body has always served him well throughout his life. Forged from hardship and hard effort, it is truly a sight to behold. Standing at an above-average height of seven feet and nine inches, with darker, muted purple skin than most Kaldorei—because of his habit of traveling during the day rather than at night—numerous scars that range from large to small, old and new, and callouses, as well as large, impressive muscles, his body is incredible—perhaps ideal. Very muscular—but not to the point where the bulk hinders his movements too much—Thanalor has sturdy, broad shoulders, a strong chest with fine, chiseled pectorals, fantastic lats, and fat percentage low enough that one is able to see all eight of his toned abdominal muscles. With an equally powerful backside, strong, taut arms and even stronger legs, it is apparent just from his appearance that he commands a tremendous amount of physical strength. And while he may not be as strong as the over-sized Orcs or the much more imposing Draenei, he has his agility and his flexibility to make up for it—for he is still a Kaldorei after-all. For one that rarely spends time within civilization because of how often they travel, Thanalor actually smells kind of pleasant. Perhaps it is that slightly sweet fragrance from all that time spent in the fields where the flowers blooms or the slight earthy scent from his sweat and the forests he loves to hike through. Whatever it is, it works quite well for him—it also helps a lot that he bathes often in rivers and streams. =Outfit = ---- Simple and pragmatic is how one could describe Thanalor’s outfit. What he wears is essentially a gambeson made with several layers of sturdy wool cloth for protection with an inner-layer of silk for comfort, a pair of pauldrons, some metal bracers, reinforced leggings and thick, protective boots. Dyed in a light grey and a pale sand colour with silver and fur accents, his outfit looks almost like the garb of a traveling monk—albeit with Kaldorei flair. On top of that, he wears a matching fur-lined hood with a cloak attached to it. Kept close to him—usually around his neck—are two important necklaces. The older looking one consists of a silver crescent moon attached to a thin, blue cord with runes carved onto either side of it. Said runes give off the soft, gentle aura that many Kaldorei would know belongs to Elune. The other one is a golden disc with a sapphire socketed into the center of it that is attached to a metal chain. This one also puts out an aura—one that many Humans and Draenei would recognize as the soothing and warm aura of the Light. With him always is his trusty backpack. This thing has been with him ever since he began traveling the world. Made of sturdy leather with an inner-lining of fur, its current, good state and fantastic quality means that it will continue to be used by him—long into the future. Not one to pack too terribly heavy, he usually just has his water canteen, his food, some tools—such as a knife—and his fur sleeping bag with him. Sometimes, he also has trade goods stored in there too that he can sell at towns and cities. =Weapons = ---- Attached to the side of his backpack by some tightly fastened straps is Thanalor’s short spear. Measuring at about seven feet—just nine inches shorter than he is—it has a wooden pole reinforced with metal rings, an exceptionally sharp and pointy metal head, and a rounded pommel at the end of it that he can use as a stand or for bludgeoning. Incredibly simple in design, it is a sturdy weapon, one that Thanalor—and history—has a strong love for. In case his spear is unable to finish the job—which is rarely does—Thanalor also has a simple arming sword that he keeps sheathed at his hip. Blade and guard made of good quality metal with fine leather wrapping its hilt, it makes for an exceptional secondary weapon when Thanalor’s main one fails. =Relationships = ---- Family Feldran Ravenstrike His Father, Feldran taught Thanalor most if not all of the trade skills that he knows today. It was he that taught Thanalor how to carve, how to whittle and the trade of woodworking. Whilst he may not use those skills often in his daily life, Thanalor is grateful to his father that he was able to provide so many valuable skills and lessons to him. Cyanas Winterheart Her Mother, Thanalor would like to think that he actually looks more like her than his Father. She is where he got his silver hair and originally, light-purple, skin colour from. Besides that, when he was younger, she provided a lot for him. From her, he learned how to hunt and how to forage. For that, he is grateful. =History = ---- Born for Adventure Born in a village in Ashenvale, to two lovely parents, both of which were craftspeople, Thanalor lived a mostly sheltered life during his childhood. While he loved the beautiful nature and majestic animals that surrounded his village, there was this hunger for adventure within him that he could not sate no matter how far he explored his homeland. Despite his parents' protests, he decided to leave his home village and enlist with the Kaldorei Navy. On board the Mirrored Star, he worked as a sailor for many years. On the high seas, he braved the elements, terrifying sea creatures and eventually the Horde. His First Kill The first battle he had against the Horde was a startling one. A heavy mist had appeared all around them, creating a visual blockade and obscuring the vision of both vessels. It was when the two ships nearly scraped together that both vessels were alerted to the other's presence and soon, battle commenced. Thanalor was the man working the masts and whilst he wished to join his fellow crewmembers in the battle on the deck, he knew that his duty was to ensure that none of the Horde were able to destroy the sails. He got his wish granted when an Orc shot an arrow through his shoulder, sending him falling to the deck. His fall was a brief distraction from the overall bloody conflict and luckily for him, he was not immediately skewered on floor where he fell. On the deck, he was cornered by the Orc that had shot him. The Orc, a venerable man, who looked quite aggravated that he had not scored an immediate killing shot on the taller, Kaldorei man, charged at Thanalor with a spear. Thanalor, having had lucridous amounts of adrenaline pumping through him was able to dodge the spear and stab the Orc with a knife. He did not know how many times he stabbed that Orc, he lost count after a while. All he could feel at that moment however was the instinct to survive. Prisoner of War It was during one fateful encounter with the Horde that the Mirrored Star was finally defeated in battle. The Orcs were ruthless in their victory; rounding up the women to be used as sex slaves and killing some of the men for fun. Thanalor was lucky to be one of the few crew members that survived. Taken to Durotar in chains, he was branded and turned into a slave. Bought off by a master who used his slaves as betting tools in the arena, he was set off on his bloody journey. Each and everyday, he would be cheered on by a crowd of savages as he was forced to kill whoever was pitted against him. There was no glory in his actions. There was only the instinct to survive. It was during his time in captivity that he met a Human by the name of Charles Mulligan. They quickly became friends despite Thanalor's fear that he might someday have to go against him in the arena. For a brief time, Thanalor was able to push back that thought to the back of his mind as he continueed fighting in the arena. Every day, he would eat breakfast with his fellow combatants before fighting in the arena in the afternoon. It does something to a person, having to kill the people that he sleeps and eats with. The Death of a Friend While he knew it would happen someday, he did not expect it to happen so soon. To face one's best friend in a fight to the death. It was truly one of the more horrific moments in Thanalor's life. It was a dark stain in the book of Thanalor's memories when his bladed claw tore through Charles's armour and penetrated through Charles's chest. With his dying breaths, Charles forgave Thanalor and gave him his necklace. Thanalor still wears that necklace to this day. The Breaking of Chains Sick and tired of having to kill so many innocent people, Thanalor began plotting his escape. Chipping away at his chains, he eventually broke them after several weeks of hard work. Finding the slavedriver that owned him, he slit his throat in the middle of the night before retrieving the keys and freeing the other slaves. Stealing a few boats, he said his goodbyes to his fellow freed slaves and began rowing along the coastline towards freedom. He did not know how many days he spent on that boat, but he eventually lost consciousness. Somehow, he managed to drift all the way to Theramore before he died of dehydration. There, he was treated and given food. He would never forget the kindness of the people of Theramore. The Call to Adventure Strikes Again Despite spending all those years at sea, Thanalor's thirst for adventure was still not sated. Eager to forget the horrific deeds that he commited whilst enslaved, Thanalor bartered for a few traveling supplies before heading off. Over the years, he traveled throughout most of Kalimdor, making sure to avoid Horde controlled territories the best that he could. Many more years passed before he finally finished exploring Kalimdor. He then set his sights to the Eastern Kingdoms. Purchasing a ticket, he sailed all the way over to Stormwind. Stormwind was the kingdom where his friend Charles's belonged to. It is one of the reasons why he seems to always come back to Stormwind to restock on supplies after he travels. Stormwind is also the place where he met the love of his life. This is where Thanalor is right now. =Trivia = ---- *His birthday is on December 25th. *His favourite colour is blue. His least favourite colour is red. *His favourite food, surprisingly enough, is blueberry pie, which is a Human dish. He tried it first in Theramore. Blueberry pie is the reason why he makes stops in Stormwind. *Unlike most Kaldorei, his diet is centered around meat. *He cannot handle spicy food. *His favourite flavour of icecream is strawberry. *He absolutely hates coffee and is absolutely confused as to how anyone could like it. He prefers tea. *He can't stand the taste of porridge as it reminds him of the food he ate back when he was still a slave. *His voice reference is Troy Baker, specifically his performance as Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain. *He is fond of dad jokes. He also likes puns. *He is right handed. *His first kill was during a battle with a Horde ship where he stabbed an Orc to death. *The first man that he ever killed in the arena was a Kaldorei like him. *During his time as a gladiator, he amassed a total of one-hundred and thirty-one kills. He is not proud of that fact. *Due to having traveled for many years, his once light-purple skin has tanned to become the dark, muted shade that he is now. *When no one is looking, he enjoys playing with his hair and beard. *He can speak decent Orcish but cannot read it. *His favourite book genre is comedy. *He got his tattoos right before enlisting in the Kaldorei Navy. *He has contemplated suicide multiple times. Those thoughts have died out as of recent times. *He has traveled the entirety of Kalimdor and most of the Eastern Kingdoms. *When he was a slave, he was called 'Ethan' by his best friend. He often gets confused when someone says the name 'Ethan' and sometimes he might even turn to answer. *He lost his eye during an accident when a part of the ship he was serving on exploded, sending shards of wood everywhere. One of those shards ended up embedding itself in his eye. How unlucky of him. *He has a thing for ponytails. *During his travels, he has risked frostbite a total of four times. *His favourite animal is the sabrecat. *He enjoys singing in the bath, but he will never tell anyone that. Category:Characters Category:Night Elf Category:Paladins Category:Kaldorei Navy Category:Gladiators